


A Merry Christmas After All

by afteriwake



Series: Fandom Christmas In July - 2018 [3]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Conversations, Deals, Destination Weddings, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Food, Getting to Know Each Other, Hawaii, Minor Sherlock Holmes/Molly Hooper, Mutually Beneficial Arrangement, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Sally Donovan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-06-05 04:42:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15162905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: Sally and Mycroft make an arrangement to have a pretend relationship together, culminating in a spectacular break-up at a destination wedding in Hawaii. But what theyintendto have happen doesn't go according to plan when pesky feelings decide to get involved.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dreamin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamin/gifts).



> For Fandom Christmas In July, **Dreamin** requested a Salcroft fic with the prompt " _faking a relationship_." I combined it with a Summer of Surprise prompt (" _BON VIVANT - devotee of luxury and the sensual vices of life. lives luxuriously with cultivated, refined, and sociable tastes. enjoys fine dining, wine and gourmet meals_ )."

She refused to be intimidated by any Holmes. Sherlock, his brother...okay, _maybe_ his sister. She had seen the aftermath of what _that_ Holmes sibling was capable of and while she didn’t like to admit it, it had chilled her to the bones and even more changed her opinions of the Holmes brothers.

But still. She knew Mycroft could be intimidating and she was determined not to let him do it to her.

After a moment the door opened and she realized that he had a rather dreary office. Not that hers was a paradise, but she at least had light and plants in various places. And her tank of fish. She had decided if she ever got her own office there would be as many blatant reminders of life as she could have. She hadn’t expected the Waters case to be good, in the end, for her or Greg, not after he ran off to help Sherlock, but Greg had surprised her and heaped loads of praise on her, with Sherlock chiming in much to her surprise, and _finally_ she had gotten her well deserved promotion. She had never told either of the men about her goal to have life around her at the office, but Greg had given her a large tank and Sherlock had brought her a goldfish.

She’d named it Sherly. 

Now she had a tank full of fish, all the names picked by the few children in her life: nieces, nephews, Greg’s daughter, Rosie Watson...it made her smile to look at it at work.

Mycroft could use a fish or at the very least some brightly coloured plants.

She sat across from him and didn’t bother to cross her legs and appear ladylike; she was in trousers, she could spread her legs a bit, put her elbows on her thighs and lean forward and stare at Mycroft until he noticed. She figured she had a 50/50 chance he’d actually look up at her.

“Do make yourself comfortable, Detective Inspector Donovan.”

“Already have,” Sally murmured, studying what was on his desk. Very little, to be honest. One of the desk planners that seemed to be on every desk everywhere, a pen and stand for it, and a salad. Apparently this was his lunch and he wasn’t planning on touching it. “You haven’t, though. Feel free to eat your lunch.”

“My assistant was not aware of this meeting when my meal was picked for the day,” he said. “I was going to have a cheat day. There should be Italian arriving shortly. You prefer lasagna, correct?”

“Vegetable, yeah,” she said. “I’ve cut meat out of my diet for a bit to shake things up.”

“You hate it, though.”

“Suppose I do,” she admitted. “If you got me meat lasagna I’ll make an exception if you share the salad.” Mycroft didn’t reply, simply pushing the bowl of salad towards her, and then the fork. To be honest, she’d had a few strips of turkey bacon this morning so meat lasagna wouldn’t be much of a cheat, but she was starving _now_ and she always paired her lasagna with a salad anyway. She saw warmed walnuts and sunflower seeds on it, and when she looked up there was a small container of something that looked like a blueberry vinaigrette. “You have good taste.”

The corners of his mouth edged up in a smile. “As do you.” He finally looked up at her. “I have a proposition for you.”

“Hmm,” she said around a mouthful of salad on her fork.

“I need a girlfriend.”

She found herself so surprised she nearly choked on her food. Her eyes watered just slightly but she kept her composure as she finished chewing and swallowing. “Go on.”

“There is an event happening over the holidays. As you know, a relationship has developed between my brother and Dr. Hooper after the incidents of...that evening. I am one of few who knows, but Dr. Hooper is pregnant. They wish to be married as quickly as possible, and they have chosen a destination wedding the week before Christmas. My family will be in attendance, and I wish to stage a spectacular break-up in front of them where they will see that I am unsuitable for relationships and therefore be accepting of my life as a bachelor.”

“And you won’t ask that fellow politician friend of yours because…?” Sally asked, taking another bite of her food.

“She actually has interest in me. You do not. You will be well compensated, Detective Donovan. Not just monetarily, but with favours that could make your job easier. I will be at your beck and call for as much information as I can give you in my position for the rest of my career.”

Sally raised an eyebrow. Having an in in the government _could_ be beneficial. She would never ask for favours that would compromise a case, but should she need classified information she could get it. She could, perhaps, have some level of immunity to deal with the fuckos higher up than her that were still intent on ruining her and Greg and anyone who made their cushy lives hell.

Yeah, it could be worth a week’s vacation and pretending to have partially melted the Iceman.

“Where would we be going?” she asked.

“Hawaii,” he said. “I would, of course, pay any expenses, and if you are able to get two weeks of vacation I will have you moved to any resort of your choice for the remainder of your vacation.”

She considered it. “Would they know the break-up is coming?”

“They being Sherlock and Dr. Hooper?” Sally nodded. “They are aware. It will not happen in their presence, just my parents, and I will remain to be the best man at the wedding. You will have no need to either attend the wedding or purchase a gift for the couple. Or, at the very least, pay for the gift if you decide to purchase one.”

She speared some more salad. “And you’ll cover all expenses? New tropical wardrobe, swimming costume, food, booze?”

“Everything,” he said with a nod.

“Then I suppose it’s too good a deal to pass up.” She popped the forkful of salad in her mouth and then ate it slowly. “You do realize we’ll have to fake date _before_ the wedding, though, right?”

“What?” Mycroft asked.

“Well, in every undercover sting, which is basically what I’m approaching this as, the more research you do, the better off it goes. If you’re knowledgeable enough to be prepared for anything, pretty much nothing can happen that surprises you.” She speared some more salad. “Your fam...they’re not thinking we’re serious enough for marriage?”

“No, I suppose not,” he said.

“Then we can start with having lunches together. We have a month and a half to get ready, so we’ll have lunch together, say, every other day? Then you can learn more about me and I can learn more about you, and we can get comfortable around each other.”

He steepled his fingers together and then nodded slowly. “That sounds reasonable. Will you be wanting compensation for your time?”

“Throw in some nicer clothes and the occasional fake date out on town and that will be enough,” she said, pointing her fork at him. “But my access to classified information starts now. That’s non-negotiable.”

“Very well. We have a deal,” he said with one final nod.

“We have a deal,” she replied before eating her food. This could be very interesting. Very interesting indeed...


	2. Chapter 2

She knew, in a stereotypical first date, the bloke would usually bring flowers. She somehow had the feeling if Mycroft chose to do that, it would be a magnificent arrangement. And if he didn’t...well, that was alright, too. Because _she_ had a surprise for _him_ in that department.

She had requested that for their first date to be as meaningful as possible (and by that she meant “have as many witnesses on hand to make it authentic,” she assured him, not any other type of meaning) she had told him to pick her up at the Yard. She was normally, on a good day, off at 5, but she told him she’d make sure she was available at half past four so they could go...somewhere for drinks and then a good dinner, had been the final decision, though _where_ they were heading, she didn’t know.

And when he arrived, he was leaving with one of her plants.

She had just the one picked out, a green plant with no flowers that did well in places with little to no light, like that cave he called an office. If he protested, she could say that it was in an effort to have a remembrance of her in his office, a gift from a friend, at least at first, but in reality she had just found his office so depressing that she knew he needed _something_ in there to remind him there was more to life than work, a lesson she’d had to learn herself.

There was a soft knock on her door and one of the detective sergeants on the floor stood there. “You have a visitor, Detective.” She had a grin which made her think that Mycroft actually had flowers.

“Send them in,” she said. A moment later Mycroft walked in, but not with flowers. Instead in a small bowl, there was the most beautiful fish she had ever seen. Her eyes widened and she smiled. “Oh, that’s a lovely one.”

“It should be compatible with the others in your tank, and requires no special adjustment to the food you feed them,” he said, moving in front of her desk and setting the bowl on it gently. “I had felt a bowl would be preferable to a baggie full of water. Classier, I suppose.”

“I can use the bowl for something else because fish need room,” she said with a smile. “I’ll start acclimating it to the tank soon.”

Mycroft nodded. “Are you ready for our date?”

“Yes,” she said. “But I want you to do something first.” She went and picked up the plant she had on her desk and handed it to him. “Put this in your office tomorrow. You need something alive in there other than you and your assistant.” He gave her a look as she took her hands off the pot. “It will be fine with a little water and plant food and low light. I made sure of that.”

“Thank you, Detective Donovan.”

“ _Sally_ ,” she said. “I have a first name, you should use it.” She stood up and smoothed down the dress she had worn. Nothing too fancy, but she had gotten some stares and affectionate wolf whistles for the change out of her normal pantsuit into something dressier. “Is this going to be alright for wherever we’re going?”

“It’s more than adequate,” he said. He nodded towards the plant in his hands. “Should I take this with us?”

“We all know you can get on this floor at any time, day or night, as long as you say you need to talk to Greg,” she said, reaching under her desk for the handbag that matched her dress. She made sure to put her badge and ID in, just in case, and then pulled out the lipstick and put some on her lips. “Just don’t take any other plants, alright? That one is specifically yours.”

“As in a gift?” he asked, seemingly taken aback.

“Yeah. You don’t get gifts?” she asked, confused.

“Most people don’t think of that when it comes to me,” he admitted.

She made a mental note to get the poor guy a few gifts while they were doing the fake dating thing. Nothing embarrassing or gaudy, just simple things that might be useful to him or could have some sort of meaning. Props were good in undercover ops sometimes. “Well, expect more. It will make it look more like the relationship has meaning.”

Mycroft set the plant down and nodded as she put the handbag on her shoulder, and he offered her his arm. “Shall we, Sally?” he asked.

She gave him a grin and took his arm. Even if this was all fake, she had the feeling tonight might be nice. Pleasant even. “We shall,” she said, and then they left. Step one was complete. A few more, and the relationship would be quite believable indeed...


	3. Chapter 3

He had taken her to Punch Room for drinks, a place she knew for a fact required reservations, and she had the hardest time choosing between their wine selection, their cocktails, and an upscale beer, but in the end, went with the gin-infused Edition house punch. It was absolutely sublime and as it had been a while since she’d touched anything with gin in it was a nice treat. After drinks, they stayed at the same building and went to Berners Tavern. She was not at all surprised that Mycroft ordered the appetizers for them, the Caesar salad with garlic and herb prawns.

“You’re more than welcome to order your own entree, but I saw that you enjoyed my salad and thought you might enjoy this one as well,” he said.

She looked at the ingredients and nodded. Even with anchovies, it sounded delicious. “I think it’s right up my alley,” she said, giving him a smile. He almost looked a bit nervous, even with the wine he’d had. “Mycroft, _relax_. This isn’t an actual date. It’s...gathering reconnaissance, in a nice venue with good food.”

As soon as she said that, he seemed to relax. “I’m sorry. My mind is...other places,” he replied.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. “I mean, if nothing else, at least for a little while you can have another sympathetic ear other than your assistant.”

His smile turned wry at that. “And what makes you think Anthea has a sympathetic ear to spare anyone?”

“You aren’t attracted to her and she likes women more than man, so she has to stay around for some other reason than being hyper-competent,” Sally said with a smirk. “You almost consider her a friend.”

“You are very insightful,” he said, allowing himself a soft chuckle. “I suppose she is something akin to a friend, though please keep that fact to yourself. It’s not an aspect of our relationship we would like publicized.”

“Lips are sealed,” Sally said with a nod. “But really. This doesn’t have to be all of a fact-finding mission. We can just...talk.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done that,” he said, pausing to take a sip of his wine. “My sister spoke, for the first time since the incident. She wants to see Dr. Hooper.”

“Wow,” Sally said, her eyes widening. “Not a good idea.”

“No, I thought not as well. But she’s game and Sherlock has given his reluctant agreement, as she will be part of the family, and I’m not sure how to feel about the matter. If it gets Eurus communicative again, it may be good, but I don’t want to put Dr. Hooper or the baby at risk.”

Sally thought for a moment. “If Molly’s willing, and Sherlock is too, there really isn’t much you can do other than maybe be there on site to supervise. I mean, I know you’d love to micromanage the world, but sometimes that’s not an option. But if you’re there, and maybe Sherlock is too, it could be more of a tolerable decision?”

“That was much the same wisdom Anthea had,” he replied. “I suppose if I surround myself with insightful women I should listen to their advice.”

“Probably a good idea,” Sally said, giving him a soft smile.

“I appreciate the plant, by the way,” he replied. “I had thought of bringing flowers but I remembered you collect fish and I thought that would be more...meaningful.”

“I’m almost considering taking that one home. I mean, I don’t have a tank there, but I could get one. It would be nice to have a bit more life at the flat.”

“Yes, your plant collection is lacking at your home as opposed to your office.” Sally raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got your own security detail, Sally. I’ve had your flat under surveillance since Sherlock began assisting Lestrade.”

“I see,” she said, though she had a slight grin. “Well, maybe one day I’ll know what the inside of your home looks like, Mister Secret Keeper.” She lifted up her glass of wine and moved it towards him. “To sharing secrets and gathering information.”

Mycroft gave her a small smile and tapped his glass against hers before they each took a sip. Maybe it wouldn’t take all that long to defrost the Ice Man after all for this task. However long it took, though, she had the feeling she was going to enjoy the process.


End file.
